The AFL’s Foxtel Cup is in danger of going the way of State of Origin and International Rules unless some radical changes are introduced to help spice up the competition before it is discarded from the interstate leagues and the clubs themselves.

Here are the two ideas I think would help improve the Foxtel Cup as a whole.

1) Play it in the pre-season
For SANFL clubs like Norwood, it becomes a nightmare to focus on both competitions-the SANFL premiership and the Foxtel Cup.

If you asked the Redlegs, they’ll tell you that while they would like to win the Foxtel Cup, their main goal is to not only being there on SANFL grand final day, but also to win the flag,

Norwood had to make eight, read that again, eight changes from their SANFL game to focus on the Foxtel Cup. Most of their top players weren’t there in the Foxtel Cup game against East Fremantle, which they lost.

However, if the Foxtel Cup was played in the pre-season, most of the clubs would go all-out to win it. This is not only because it would be an ideal preparation for the regular season, it would also give clubs like Norwood and Port Melbourne the chance to focus totally on their respective league premierships.

2) A two division competition
The Foxtel Cup could be broken up into two divisions or sections in knockout football.

The Division 1 games and the Division 1 and 2 grand finals would be shown live on Fox Footy.

So, if the Foxtel Cup wants to be respected by not only the state league and clubs, but also by the TV viewers, it needs to undergo these changes I have outlined.

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The Crowd Says (7) | Page 1 of Comments

Some good ideas there Jason, I too am at a loss as to why this cup struggles so much.

I can only conclude that if big enough prize money was at stake clubs would show more interest. Nathan Bassetts treatment of the comp this year and the SANFL in general in the past few years has been deplorable.
In the first year the top 3 or 4 SANFL clubs didn’t even enter the comp.

I say don’t even bother. It exists purely as a money making exercise for foxtel. Crowds don’t wanna know about it, the topflight clubs like Norwood see it as a distraction at best and an injury risk at worst, and it proves nothing in regards to which state is the best at footy. Scrap it as a good idea poorely recieved, or it it go on as a purely invitational comp.

The AFL is too strong in Victoria for the state league to be taken very seriously. Remove some AFL clubs and more focus will be placed on the state league. The foxtel cup then can be used to grow football in Sydney through the NEAFL.

Foxtel cup is a great idea.. why not have it as a regular comp home and away?? Top 4 sides from WA, Vic and SA play each other … the rest play in a second division…

The team that wins the Foxtel cup goes into the AFL the next year!!!! Surely Norwood or East Fremantle could put up a better performance than Melbourne at the moment?

Great way to build the game, I recall the Southport Sharks up on the Gold Coast had a super strong side back in the Bears days.. most of the Bears reseves played for the Sharks.. very good side… pretty strong financially if I recall, all those gold coast millionaires chipping in a bit of money to pay players etc.